Slip and Fall Lawyer in Mentor, OH
HELPING CLIENTS SECURE TOP COMPENSATION FOR THEIR INJURIES
For most adults, falling in public is not only embarrassing but also a risky situation that could result in significant injuries and even missed days at work. When a fall is a result of another party’s negligence in maintaining a safe environment, the injured victim may be able to seek compensation for their damages. Learn how slip and fall cases are handled in Ohio, how to file a claim, and why getting the help of an attorney is so important for this type of claim.
If you were injured in a slip and fall near Mentor, OH, or surrounding areas, call the Piscitelli Law Firm for legal assistance.
WHAT IS A SLIP-AND-FALL ACCIDENT?
A slip and fall (sometimes referred to as a slip, trip, and fall) is a type of personal injury that can happen if someone slips, trips, and falls due to a dangerous condition on another person’s property. Common examples of hazardous conditions that can cause a slip-and-fall accident include slippery floors, uneven sidewalks or carpeting, objects in walkways, poor lighting, and broken stairs.
In Ohio, property owners have a legal responsibility to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition and to warn visitors of any potential dangers. In order to recover compensation for a slip and fall accident, an injured individual should be prepared to prove that the property owner negligently failed to adequately maintain their premises.
The injured person may also need to demonstrate that they were not the primary cause of their own injuries. For example, if a person walking in a grocery store slips and falls because of an unmarked wet spot on the floor, the owner of the grocery store may be financially responsible for their injuries. In contrast, if the same person slips and falls on a wet floor because they were looking at their phone and did not see the hazardous area or the signs warning visitors about the wet floor, they may be held partially responsible for their own injuries.
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON INJURIES CAUSED BY A SLIP-AND-FALL ACCIDENT?
Slip and fall accidents can result in a range of injuries, from minor to severe. Some of the most common physical injuries include head injuries, back injuries, bone fractures, and soft tissue injuries.
Head injuries can vary from mild concussions to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Serious head injuries such as TBIs can have lasting consequences and may require extensive medical treatment. Back injuries, such as herniated discs or sprains, can deeply impact a person’s mobility and may require long-term physical therapy. Fractures, such as wrist fractures, broken ankles, or shoulder fractures, are also common and often require surgical intervention and require long periods of recovery. In addition, sprains, strains, and contusions, as well as torn ligaments, can cause pain, swelling, and limited mobility.
HOW DO YOU PROVE NEGLIGENCE IN A SLIP-AND-FALL CASE?
Like any type of personal injury claim, slip-and-fall cases are based on negligence. In other words, the plaintiff (the party who was injured and is filing a claim) needs to prove that the at-fault party owed them a duty of care but breached their duty and caused them harm as a result. Consider the example of a grocery store customer who slipped and fell in an area where the floor was wet, and no warning signs were posted. Suppose our customer injured their ankle and hit their head on a fixture as a result of the fall. In this case, the customer may claim their injuries are a direct result of a breach of duty of care by the grocery store owner who failed to take the necessary steps to prevent the accident.
It is up to the plaintiff to build their case and prove that all basic elements of negligence are applicable to their claim. In order to do that, it is important to reach out to an experienced slip-and-fall lawyer who can help with the process of gathering the necessary evidence to support your case.
HOW MUCH IS A SLIP AND FALL CLAIM WORTH?
A common question among slip-and-fall accident victims is how much their case may be worth, especially when they are concerned about making ends meet while they recover from their injuries at home or at the hospital. In general, the value of a claim is determined by the degree of the victim’s injuries and the resulting economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the tangible financial losses and expenses resulting from the fall, such as medical bills, hospital bills, physical therapy costs, lost wages, and damaged property. In contrast, non-economic damages are the subjective losses experienced by the injured individual, such as pain caused by the fall and injury, emotional distress and suffering resulting from the incident and recovery process, and even loss of enjoyment of life if their injury has caused them to become permanently disabled.
The more significant the victim’s injuries and resulting damages (both economic and non-economic), the higher the value of their claim may be. For example, someone who became partially disabled after slipping and falling on an icy sidewalk and sustaining a serious TBI may end up with a higher settlement than someone who sprained their ankle but made a full recovery. The best way to learn exactly how much you can get for a slip-and-fall case is to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer. The Piscitelli Law Firm has represented several clients in the Mentor, OH, area who were hurt after a slip-and-fall accident. If you have suffered a slip and fall injury and want to know if you have a case, reach out to the Piscitelli Law Firm for a free consultation and case analysis.
